Combined stand and filing device



Sept. 1, 1931.

N.C.DURAND COMBINED STAND AND FILING DEVICE Filed March 21. 1929 J i INVENTOR.

BY iiwbw ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 1, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE NELSON C. DURAND, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 THOMAS A. EDISON, INCORPORATED, OF WEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY COMBINED STAND AND FILING DEVICE Application filed March 21, 1929. Serial No. 848,747.

My invention relates to combined stands and filing devices and more particularly to a stand or pedestal designed as a support for a business phonograph or dictating machine and equipped with an improved filing structure for receiving and supporting both the cartons for the record cylinders to be used on such phonograph and the papers and correspondence files pertaining to matter reclorded or to be recorded on the record cyliners.

One of the principal objects of my invention is to provide an improved filing device for record cylinders and their containers preferably designed to be received within the space defined by the legs of a phonograph pedestal or stand and which has a greater capacity than filing devices heretofore used for this purpose.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved filing device of the character described, which is ofsuch construction and arrangement that record cylinder containers, papers and files, or other articles for which the device is designed, may be easily placed therein and when disposed therein are conveniently accessible for ready removal therefrom.

Another object of my invention is to provide a filing device of the character referred to, which is adapted to be manufactured as an accessory or attachment of such construction as to be capable of ready application to pedestals or stands in use.

A further object of my invention is to rovide a filing device of the character descri ed which is of knock down construction and capable of being easily assembled and disassembled.

Still further objects of my invention are to provide a filing device for record cylinder containers and other similar articles which is so designed as to insure the proper insertion and positioning of the articles therein and prevent accidental displacement of the articles therefrom; and to provide such a device which is simple in construction, economical to manufacture and effective for the purposes for which it is intended to be used.

Other objects and features of my invention will be hereinafter more specifically described and claimed.

In order that my invention may be more clearly understood, attention is directed to the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification, and in which:

Figure 1 1s a perspective view, partly broken away in section, of a preferred form of a combined stand and filing device in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the trays or shelves of the filing device which is designed to receive and support the record cylinders and their containers;

Fig. 3 is a fragmental view, partly in section, showing the relative arrangement of two of the cylinder supporting trays and the connectlon thereof with one of the side strips of the frame of the filing device;

- Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmental view, in perspective, of one of the legs of the stand or pegestal and the upper cross frame thereof; an

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmental plan view of the lower rack or tray of the filing device which is designed to receive and support papers, files, etc., showing the manner in which the component parts of the rack are assembled and connected.

Referring to the drawings, the pedestal or stand A comprises four vertical corner posts or legs 1 and upper and lower transversely extending devices, such as the cross frames B and B, coacting with the legs to hold the parts firmly together to provide a rigid unitary structure or frame which, however, is preferably capable of being easily knocked down or disassembled. The legs 1 are straight for the greater portion of their length, but are bent outwardly below thelower cross frame B for the purpose of increasing the stability of the stand. The frames B and B are substantially rectangular in form, frame B, however, being a little smaller than frame B with the result that the legs 1 converge slightly towards the top of the stand. These frames B and B are also similar in construction, each consisting of a pair of substantially rectangular sections 3 and 4, formed of suitable flat metal strips,

fitting closely one within the other and rigidly secured together, as by spot-welding. The inner section 3 is rounded at its corners, but the outer section 4 is provided at each corner with an outwardly extending loop 5. The legs 1, which are preferably formed of sheet steel, are channel-shaped in cross section, and secured at their lower ends to each of the legs within the channel thereof at points respectively adjacent the upper end of the leg and just above the bent lower end section thereof, are two vertical spring tongues 6. The loops 5 of the cross frames B and B are designed to fit closely within the channels of the legs 1, and in assembling the stand, the said frames are each applied and secured to the four legs 1 by disposing the loops 5 thereof within the channels of the legs just above the respective set of spring tongues 6 and then forcing the frame downwardly as far as possible with the said loops engaging over said tongues with a wedging action.

The upper cross frame B has seating and positioning members C respectively applied to the four loops 5 thereof. Each of the members C comprises a flat horizontal section 7, said member being positioned with said section engaging the upper edge of the corresponding loop 5 and being secured in this position by means of downwardly projecting lugs 8 which are provided on the section 7 and which embrace and are spot-welded to the opposite sides of the loop 5. The section 7 of each of the members C is also provided at its outer edge with a substantially right-angular upstanding flange 9. The seating members C as so constructed and arranged, are adapted to receive and position the casin of the phonograph which is designed to e supported by the stand A. In order that the stand A may readily be moved from place to place casters 10 are applied to the lower ends of the legs 1.

The specific form of filing device shown herein, is designed to be supported from the upper cross frame B of stand Awithin the space defined by the legs 1. This filing device comprises two vertical side strips 11 supported by and depending from the opposite sides of said frame B, the horizontally extending cylinder carrying or filing trays or shelves S disposed in equi-spaced relation one above the other between the cross frames B and Bi and supported by the strips 11, the paper and file supporting rack or tray T supported by the strips 11 beneath the lower cross frame B, and the guard device 22, 23 secured to the strips 11 and positioned between the cross frame B and the uppermost tray or shelf S.

The side strips 11 are formed at their upper ends with folded over or hook portions 12 and are supported from the cross frame B by engaging said .hook portions over the opposite sides of the latter. Just below the ook portions 12, the strips 11 are bent'outwardly, and upon applying said strips to the frame B as described, they are positioned centrally of the stand, with respect to the front and rear thereof, and with their lower portions respectively disposed just inside the opposite sides of frame B, and are then each rigidly secured in position by means of two screws 13 which are passed through holes provided therefor in the outer section of the hook portion 12 just below the frame B and are threaded into and through the inner section of said hook portion. Each of the strips 11 is also bent outwardly just beneath the lower cross frame B and is provided below the bend with a short straight vertical section 14.

Each of the trays or shelves S, which are identical in shape and size, is stamped and pressed to form from a single piece of thin sheet metal, and is provided with a plurality of similar adjacent parallel trough-like seats or sections 15 extending from the front to the rear edges thereof and with similar vertical down-turned flanges 16 at its opposite sides. The sections 15 are adapted to receive the record cylinder containers, and are preferably formed as shallow part cylinders conforming to such containers. Each of the side flanges 16 has an enlarged triangular rear portion 17 provided with a pair of angular bayonet slots 18. The strips 11 are each provided with three vertically spaced pairs of horizontally aligned studs 20 which extend inwardly therefrom; and each of the trays S is mounted in proper position between the strips 11, by engaging the bayonet slots 18 in the opposite flange portions 17 thereof with two of the oppositely positioned pairs of studs 20 and pressing the tray downwardly and then rearwardly as far as it will go. The flanges 16 are so formed that when the trays are thus mounted on studs 20, the forward edges of the enlarged portions 17 of such flanges are substantially flush with the front edges of strips 11 and the rear edges of the rearmost slots 18 are located adjacent to but slightly back of the rear edges of said strips. The trays S are now locked'in place by bending the deformable rear sections 19 of flanges 16 outwardly a slight distance to positions directly back of strlps 11, as indicated at 19' in Fi 3.

' In order to sti en the trays S their front edge portions are turned over as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The trough-like seats or compartments 15 are free and unobstructed at their front ends but are provided with stops 21, preferably in the form of bent or turned up flanges, at their rear ends. The construction is such that when the trays have been mounted as described, they will be in equi-spaced, parallel relation and will incline downwardly somewhat from their front ends.

Because of the inclination of the trays, it will be apparent that when record cylinder containers have been placed in an of the seats or troughs 15, (two such cylinders B being shown in Fig. 1, in dotted lines, as so positioned) gravity will tend to maintain them in place against the stops 21. The length of the sections 15 is preferably such that the cylinders or containers for which they are designed will, when disposed therein against stops 21, project forwardly from the sections, thus enabling them to be readily grasped and removed.

The arrangement of the trays S is such that, in the case of each of the two lower trays, the distances from the rear stops 21 and from the juncture or common upper edges 15 of adjacent seats or compartments 15, to the bottom of the next higher tray, are each less than the diameter of the cylindrical containers or other articles R for which the trays are designed; this being apparent from Fig. 3, wherein two different positions of such an article is indicated in dotted lines at R and R. Accordingly it is impossible to push such a container or article between adjacent trays S to a position in which it projects from and is likely to fall out of the filing device at the rear thereof; and it is also impossible to insert such a container or article between adjacent trays except when properly positioned in one of the seats or compartments 15 therefor. The uppermost tray S, however, is located a considerable distance below the cross frame B, and in order to prevent a container R or like shaped article from being pushed through and falling out of the filing device at the back thereof, a horizontal rail 23 is rigidly mounted above the rear end of said tray in such a position that the distances from said rail to the frame B and to the rear stops 21 of the tray are each less than the diameter of such article. The rail 23 is held in such position by being mounted in two angular brackets 22 which are respectively secured to the strips 11 by the screws 13, the latter being threaded into the upper horizontal arms of the brackets.

The rack T is designed to receive and hold letters, files, etc., in a flat condition and is preferably a basket-like knock down structure made up of a plurality of sections 25, 26 and 27, in the form of thin flat sheet metal strips, detachably connected together in equispaced relation by rods 29 and 30 having reduced shouldered ends which are forced into cylindrical sockets 28 formed integrally with said strips at the ends thereof. The two intermediate strips or sections 27 are exactly alike, and each is straight for the greater portion of its length but the rear end por tion thereof is bent upwardly and then forwardly at an angle. The side sections 25 and 26 are similar to the sections 27, but spotwelded or otherwise suitably secured to each of said sections 25 and 26 intermediate the ends thereof, is an angular bracket 31. The vertical portion of each bracket 31 has a pair of spaced vertically aligned slots 32, the lower ends of which are enlarged; and the straight lower end portion 14 of each side strip 11 has secured thereto and extending inwardly therefrom a pair of vertically spaced headed studs 33 adapted for engagement with the slots in one of said brackets. Each of the two rods 29 of the rack has a short reduced section at each end, while each of the four rods 30 has a short reduced section at one end and a longer reduced section at the other end. The rack T is assembled by pushing the short reduced end sections of the two rods 29 into the sockets 28 at the ends of the two strips 27 until the shoulders on said rods lie snugly against the respective strips, then pushing the short reduced end sections of the four rods 30 into the said sockets 28 of strips 27, and finally pushing the long reduced end sections of rods 30 into the sockets 28 of strips 25 and 26. This assembly will be clear from Fig. 5

which shows one end portion of the rack.

to the lower end sections 14 of strips 11, by respectively engaging the four studs 33 on said sections in the enlarged lower portions of slots 32 in brackets 31 of the rack, and then forcing the rack downwardly to a position in which the shanks of said studs are disposed in the upper narrow portions of the slots and engage the upper ends of the same. The arrangement is such that when the rack is thus applied to the side strips 11 it is supported, as shown in Fig. 1, with the bottom thereof inclining downwardly somewhat from its front end. Accordingly papers and files placed in the rack will lie flatly therein,

the entire filing device, including the rack T, may be quickly and easily knocked down or disassembled, for shipment or other purposes without the use of any tools whatever except a screw-driver for loosening screws 13.

While the device shown and specifically described herein constitutes a preferred embodiment of my invention. it is to be understood that the same is subject to numerous changes and modifications without departure from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. The combination with a knock down pedestal comprising corner posts or legs and upper and lower cross frames 'removably connected to said legs to hold the parts totrays being removably connected to said members so as to be supported by and between the same, substantially as described.

The combination with a knock down pedestal comprising corner posts or legs and upper and lower cross frames removably connected to said legs to hold the parts together as a rigid structure, of a filing device disposed within the space defined by said legs, said device comprising spaced vertical members removably secured to said pedestal and a series of vertically spaced trays each having one or more seats for receiving and supporting articles, each of said trays being removably connected to said members so as to be supported by and between the same, and a sectional knock down rack for holding papers in a flat'condition removably connected to said members at their lower ends, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a pedestal comprising corner posts or legs and upper and lower cross frames and in which the lower cross frame is spaced above the lower ends of said legs, of a filing device supported within the space defined bysaid legs, said device comprising a series of vertically spaced trays or shelves disposed between said cross frames, each of said trays having a plurality of trough-like seats for cylinder record containers or other similarly shaped articles, and a rack or tray for supporting papers and files in a flat condition disposed below said lower cross frame, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a pedestal comprising corner posts or legs and upper and lower cross frames and in which the lower cross frame is spaced above the lower ends of said legs, of a filing device of knock down construction supported entirely from the upper cross frame and disposed within the space defined by said legs, said device comprising a series of vertically spaced trays or shelves disposed between said cross frames, each of said trays having a plurality of trough-like seats for cylinder record containers or other similarly shaped articles, and a rack or tray for supporting papers and files in a fiat condition disposed below said lower cross frame, substantially as described.

5: The combination with a pedestal comprising corner posts or legs and an upper cross frame, oif a filing device supported within the space defined by said legs and comprising a horizontally extending tray or shelf having a plurality of parallel troughlike seats for cylinder record containers or other similarly shaped articles, said seats inelining downwardly from the front of the said seats are designed, substantially as de-' scribed.

6. The combination with a pedestal comprising corner posts or legs and an upper cross frame, of a filing device supported within the space defined by said legs and comprising a series of vertically spaced trays or shelves, each of said trays having a plurality of parallel trough-like seats for cylinder record containers or other similarly shaped articles, said seats inclining downwardly from the front of the pedestal and having unobstructed open upper ends and stops at their lower ends, and a horizontally extending guard member disposed between the stops of the uppermost tray and said cross frame, the distances from said guard member to said last mentioned stops and to said cross frame each being less than the diameter of the articles for which said seats pre designed, and the distance between the stops at the lower end of each of the lower trays and the next higher tray also being less than the diameter of the articles for which said seats are designed, substantially as described.

7. In a device of the class described, a frame, and a series of vertically spaced transversely extending trays or shelves supported by said frame, each of said trays having a plurality of adjacent parallel trough-like seats designed for the reception of cylindrical articles and inclining downwardly from one end of the tray, said sheets having unobstructed open upper ends and stopping means adjacent their lower ends, the vertical distance between the stopping means for each of the lower trays and the next higher tray be ing less than the diameter of the articles for which saidseats are designed, substantially as described.

8. In a device of the class described, a frame, and a series of vertically spaced transversely extending trays supported by said frame, each of said trays having a plurality of adjacent parallel trough-like seats designed to receive cylindrical articles, the vertical distance from that portion of a tray between any two adjacent seats thereof, in the case of each tray below the uppermost tray, and the next higher tray being less than the diameter of the articles for which said seats are designed, substantially as described.

9. In a device of the class described, a frame comprising spaced members, a tray having one or more seats for receiving and supporting articles, said tray being detachably secured to said members by pin and slot .reduced end sections connections and having a portion deformable to a position in which it will coact with one of said members to lock the tray in place, sub stantially as described.

10. In a device of the class described, a frame comprising spaced members, a tray having one or more seats for receiving and supporting articles, said tray being detachably connected to said members by pin and slot connections, the slots of said connections being provided in the tray, a portion of said tray adjacent one of said slots being deformable to a position in which it will coact with one of said members to lock the tray in place, substantially as described.

11. In a device of the class described, a frame comprising spaced members, a tray having one or more seats for receiving and supporting articles, said tray being detachably connected at opposite sides thereof to said members by pin and slot connections, the slots of said connections being provided in opposite side portions of said tray, sections of said tray respectively adjacent such slots in said opposite side portions being deformable to positions in which they will respectively coact with said members to lock the tray in position, substantially as described.

12. In a device of the class described, a frame comprising spaced vertical members, and a plurality of vertically spaced trays each having one or more seats for receiving and supporting articles, each of said trays being provided with side flanges having bayonet joint connections with said members respectively, the slots of said connections being provided in said flanges, a portion of each of said flanges adjacent such a slot being readily deformable to a position in which it is adapted to coact with the adjacent vertical member to lock the respective tray in place, substantially as described.

13. A rack or tray designed to hold papers in a flat condition, comprising a series of horizontally spaced similar flat strips, each of said strips being bent upwardly at one end portion and being provided at its ends with sockets, and means removably connecting said strips together in said spaced relation comprising rods disposed between adjacent strips at each end thereof and having reduced end sections respectively engaging said sockets, substantially as described.

14. A rack or tray designed to hold papers in a flat condition, comprising a series of horizontally spaced similar flat strips, each of said strips being bent upwardly at one end portion and being provided at its ends with sockets, and means removably connecting said strips together in said spaced relation comprising rods disposed between adjacent strips at each end thereof and having respectively engaging the said sockets, each of the two outer strips of the rack having an angular bracket secured thereto at a point intermediate the ends of the strip, said brackets having provision for detachably connecting the rack with a supporting frame or structure, substantially as described.

15. The combination with a pedestal comprising corner posts or legs and an upper cross frame connected to said legs, of a filing device supported by the pedestal within the space defined by said legs and comprising a transversely extending tray or shelf having a plurality of parallel trough-like seats for cylinder record containers or other similarly shaped articles, said seats inclining downwardly from the front of the pedestal and having unobstructed open upper ends, stopping means adjacent the lower ends of said seats, and a transversely extending guard member disposed between said tray and said cross frame, the vertical distances between said guard member and the stop ping means for certain of said seatsand between said guard member and said cross frame each being less than the diameter of the articles for which said seats are designed.

This specification signed this 20th day of l\Iarch, 1929.

NELSON C. DURAND. 

